


Conversations

by Sarcastic_Soulmate



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Conversations, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24159136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarcastic_Soulmate/pseuds/Sarcastic_Soulmate
Summary: Awkward conversations Ben and Leslie had with other people who knew about their break-up.
Relationships: Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Comments: 33
Kudos: 43





	1. Ben and Ron

**Author's Note:**

> I have issues.
> 
> Also today is May 14th, aka, my birthday. But this will be posted May 15th so why am I saying this?
> 
> Did I mention I have issues? 
> 
> Oh, right, I did.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Ron talk about the breakup. Ron is being Ron as usual.

"Ok, just get that done and give it to me next week." Ben said, glancing down at the paperwork he had given Ron. Ben turned to walk out of Ron's office.

Ron could sense something bothering Ben. He had an inkling of what his problem was, but he was never interested in caring about people. He didn't know what caused him to do this. 

"Stop. Sit down, son." He turned to grab the whiskey from its hiding spot. Again, he wasn't exactly interested in other people's affairs, but as much as he didn't want to admit it, Leslie has a special place in his heart. 

Ben turns around. "Uh, what is happening?" He asks, his voice with a hint of fear and a lot of confusion. 

"Sit." 

"Um, are you going to throw that at me?" Ben counters, incredulously, but still sits down.

"Why would I waste good alcohol?" Ron looked at him in disbelief.

"Ok, so what's happening?" 

"What's going on, son?" 

"What do you mean?" He couldn't be asking what he thought he was asking. Everyone knew he wanted to know as little about other people's business as possible. 

"Why aren't you giving this to Leslie? You do know I would like to bring this crumbling to the ground, so I don't understand why I'm being forced to do this. I'm only asking this because I am not interested in doing government work, especially paperwork," he says with disdain. He pours 2 glasses of whiskey and hands one to Ben.

Ben doesn't touch the glass, knowing about his low alcohol tolerance. He internally debates with himself whether or not to leave. He turns toward the door. 

"She's hurting too, you know."

Ben turned around and looked at him in shock. That was not something he expected him to say. He knew the conversation wouldn't leave the room, as he knew of Ron's value of privacy. He at least had someone to talk to for the time being. "She has a funny way of showing it." 

"What do you expect her to do? Cry openly? Run out of the room whenever she sees you?" Ron countered. He couldn't expect her to be so obvious about something that's supposed to be a secret.

"I know, I know. I guess I just want to feel less alone." Ben couldn't believe he was telling this to Ron of all people. Ron, the stoic, but good-natured libertarian who was obsessed with privacy and avoiding contact with other people.

"Stop wallowing. Hanging your head in self-pity isn't going to suddenly make everything better." 

And he's back. "But how can I not? I just want her back. Good lord, why am I saying this? Wait, here's a question, if she's hiding it so well, how can you tell?" 

He takes a sip from his glass. "Please, I've known her for years. And she's been way too interested in her work lately, even for her. It would be interesting to see her do even more of everyone else's work, if it weren't so damned painful to watch," he admits.

Ben is shocked. It's not the kind of thing you would hear from Ron. Are they actually having a conversation? This is weird.

"That's, uh, wow. Uh, good to know." He turns to walk out. 

Ron takes another sip. "One more thing, Wyatt. I happen to be handy with a number of weapons, just so you know. You get the message?" 

His eyes widen. "Good lord. Yep, totally, uh, bye." He walks out. 

// 

Ben sits on his bed, mulling over everything. Ron threatening him not to hurt Leslie? That's a first. But it's not surprising. He thinks about the day he first met Leslie, the protective hand Ron had on her back. He thinks about the way Ron tolerates things from Leslie that he wouldn't accept from anyone else; the way they are so different from each other, yet it all seems to work. It's interesting to watch.


	2. Work isn't Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie and Marlene talk about the breakup. (Mostly in Marlene's POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The positive comments on the last chapter really inspired me to keep going!

Marlene knew that Leslie and Ben weren't together anymore. It was a rocky relationship to begin with. Not that their relationship was unhealthy, but given the circumstance that he was her boss, she knew it wouldn't end well. It bothered her a lot. She let her mind wander to it when she wasn't busy. Her daughter finds a man who looks at her like she holds the world in her hands, but couldn't stay with because of work? She really liked Ben. She's just had a good feeling about them, and she's never felt that about any of Leslie's previous boyfriends. But it's all water under the bridge.

Leslie walked in to talk with her mother during her lunch hour in Marlene's office. Her strategy for getting over the breakup was to keep herself busy at all times. It didn't work very well, at all, but that wasn't the point. 

"You and Ben are no longer dating." It wasn't a question, just a statement. 

Leslie shifted uncomfortably. "Nope. We, uh, decided that we couldn't hide it any longer, with the campaign and possible scandal if we stayed together and I don't want to get him fired or me fired and everything's fine and- 

"Leslie." 

She could feel herself spiralling so she stopped. "Yeah?" 

"Everything's not fine." Again, a statement. 

"Whatever makes you think that? Everything's good, excellent, fine, marvelous..." She trails off. There's a flicker of grief on her face before she changes it to a too-bright-to-be-real smile. 

"A, that smile is too bright, even for you. B, you're talking too fast. And too much, for that matter." She glances around the room. "And C, you can't hide from me. So stop trying." 

Leslie grimaces. She stands up and starts to pace around the room. "Well, I thought throwing myself into my work would be a good idea to avoid thinking about it. People wouldn't notice, as I'm always working anyway. It seemed like a good distraction." 

Marlene crosses her arms and narrows her eyes. "But was it really all that distracting?" 

"No, the more I tried to distract myself, the more I thought about it. But, doing the opposite of that would still make me think about it just as much, so it's just this endless loop and it's bothering me." 

"Leslie. I'm going to be honest with you. I can see why you broke up. Sneaking around wasn't going to work forever, even without the campaign. But can I ask you this?" 

"What?" 

"When have you ever given up? Ever since you were a little girl, you always tried to work around a problem. If 2 opportunities came up at once, you found a way to do it all! What's the difference now?" 

"There weren't our reputations and dreams at stake!" Leslie felt bad for raising her voice, but it was true. She wasn't sure where her mom was going with this.

"But there were other things at stake. And you managed to work around that. This is just another obstacle. Find a way to do both. Have your campaign and be with Ben." 

Leslie is speechless. What her mom was saying made a lot of sense, but all the sacrifices she had to make for previous opportunities were at a smaller level. She didn't have to give up a relationship then. 

"I don't know if that's possible." She looks at her watch. "Listen, I have to go, but we'll talk later." 

"Okay, Leslie, but one more thing." 

"Yeah, mom?" 

"Work isn't everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment suggestions for future chapters :D


	3. Meant to Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann comes to Ben to talk about how he's feeling. Epiphanies happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need someone to call a mental hospital.

Ann knew that they were both hurting. Leslie never wanted to talk about it, and always changed the subject. The desperate look in her eyes every time she does would guilt Ann into dropping the subject. Poor Leslie.

Although she was thinking about that, she had someone else in mind. Ben, the tightly-wound, non-confrontational, anxious guy who had wormed his way into their lives and fell in love with "Pawnee." Yeah, she knew about that code word. 

She roamed around city hall for his office carrying coffee. She cringed at the thought of seeing Chris, but she knew what she was in for when she accepted the job. 

She sheepishly knocked on their office door. 

"Ann Perkins!" Chris waved finger guns at her. The enthusiasm of that man was exhausting. It could only be matched by Leslie's positivity, but for obvious reasons, she enjoyed it coming from her.

"Hey, Chris. I was wondering if I could talk to Ben." She saw Ben glance up at her from the corner of her eye and then look back down.

"That is LITERALLY the greatest idea ever. I've noticed he's been a little depressed lately." He whispers that last part.

"Gotcha." She winks at Chris. As much as talking to him wasn't the purpose of her presence, she did want to show him how over him she really was. 

She knocks on Ben's door. 

"Come in." 

"Hey." 

"Hey." 

She noticed how awkward Ben felt, which was understandable. Talking to the best friend of the woman you're in love with but can't be around is probably excruciating.

"How are you doing?" 

Ben feigns confusion. He does not want to have this conversation with her. "Fine, I guess." He says, probably unconvincingly. "Why?" 

"Come on, Ben. I think I know you a little better than that." She narrows her eyes. 

"Do you?" He didn't mean for it to come out the way it sounded, but she has to understand that this is killing him.

"Sure." 

"Okay. Well, what did you need?" Ben asks, genuinely. He thinks of her as a friend, no matter how awkward and painful some of the circumstances are.

"You to stop doing that." She replies.

"Doing what?" 

"Acting like you don't know why I'm here." 

Ben grimaces. 

"Look, I know Leslie's my best friend, but we're friends too. I know you don't have anyone to talk to, and I'm getting nowhere with Leslie, and I want to be here for you." She sits on the edge of his desk.

Ben gives up. It would be nice to have someone to talk to. "Okay, what do you want to know?" 

"How are you dealing with the break-up?" 

"I don't know, Ann. Sometimes I try to distract myself, and sometimes I can't help but wallow in self-pity." He shudders, remembering his conversation with Ron.

"You okay there?" 

"Yeah, I had a weird discussion with Ron last week." 

"Ouch. You and Ron actually talked?" 

"Yeah, it was weird. Wait, what did you mean when you said you're getting nowhere with Leslie?" 

"Eh, she keeps changing the subject. But we're here to talk about you." Ann talked about Leslie casually, in an attempt for him not to push the matter.

"I miss her so much." He mumbles to himself. Unfortunately, Ann heard it and there was no going back. 

"You do?" Dumb question, but at least she's getting somewhere with him. Leslie's much more complex. At least, in this situation she is.

"Well, of course I do. But it's moot. She's running a campaign, I'm her boss, there's nothing we can do about it." 

"You were her boss before the campaign." 

"It's different now. There's more at stake. There's more publicity surrounding her, so it's all the more risky." 

"You're right." 

"Yeah. Good lord." He puts his head in his hands. 

"Listen, Ben, I'm here for you. I know you don't really have anyone to talk to, and I want to help both of you. There's a lot going on, and it's scary and I understand it. I just want you to know that. " 

Ben smiles, the first genuine one in a while. "Thanks, Ann, I appreciate that." 

"I have to go finish up some work, but again, I'm here for you. Remember that.". She gets up off his desk and slowly walks out.

// 

She's happy, excited that she helped him. It's not just for his benefit, though. She wants to know what's going on. 

She knows that Leslie is going to break down soon, and it scares her, because she doesn't know if she'll be able to calm her down. 

She also knows deep down that Ben and Leslie are perfect for each other, and she feels like somehow, it will all work out. Maybe it's Leslie's optimism rubbing off on her, but she feels confident that it's all going to be okay. It's just meant to be.

// 

Chris sees Ben a little more upbeat after Ann left. Whatever she told him, it worked. He still sees an immense sadness in Ben's eyes, but he's glad his friend is feeling better, at least for a little while.


	4. Leslie and Ron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie has been stressed and busy and she hasn't been eating. Ron decides to take matters into his own hands. Set after S04E05, 'Meet n Greet'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like I needed to add some more pizzazz to this series xD

Leslie was different. He knew why, but it didn't make it any less painful to watch. She seemed sick too, almost.. pale?

He can't remember the last time he saw her eat. And she did seem thinner. 

He's not interested in other people's affairs, but she seems sick, and that's a problem.

He opens her office door. 

"Gee, thanks for knocking." She grimaces. "Sorry. Headache." She rubs her temples as she lays her forehead on her desk. 

"Leslie, come here." 

"What? Why?" She asked. 

"Just do it." 

She stands up, and starts swaying around. The room starts to move around, and the last thing she sees before the world turns black is Ron catching her by the shoulders. 

//

She comes to in Ron's arms as he's carrying her out of city hall bridal style. They pass by Councilman Howser, April, and a few other random people who surprisingly don't say anything. She briefly sees Ben passing by and looking at them with disbelief. She feels herself growing dizzy again at the sight of him. Ben didn't say anything; Ron probably glared at him or something. 

"What's going on?" She asked, drowsy.

"You fainted." He replied. 

"Where are we going?" 

"We're going to JJ's and you're going to eat." He said.

// 

She wakes up again in the backseat of Ron's car as it pulls into JJ's Diner. He opens his door and walks out to open hers and help her out. 

"Why would anyone eat anything other than breakfast food?" She mumbled when they walked in.

"People are idiots, Leslie." He replied as they sat down. 

Their food gets served before they even order. Ah, JJ knows them so well, she thinks. 

"When was the last time you ate?" He asked her, breaking the silence.

"I don't know, a few days ago?" She mumbled, picking at her food.

"What? Why?" 

"I forgot." 

"How do you forget to eat?" He looks at her incredulously.

"I'm just busy, ok?" She glares at him. 

He glares back stubbornly. "It's obviously more than that." 

"Why do you care?" She asked.

"I don't." 

She narrows her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I tried distracting myself from Ben by focusing on my campaign. That didn't really work, so I tried to become as busy as possible. That didn't work either, but it helped a little." She finally takes a bite of her waffle. 

"So being busy involves not eating?" He questioned.

"You'd be surprised about the things you forget to do when you're tied up in things so often." 

Ron was confused and a little concerned about what that was supposed to mean. She was already not eating, and she never slept either, what was she doing now, forgetting to shower? She smelled fine though... 

// 

He takes the last bite of his bacon and eggs around the same time she finishes her waffle. She looks a lot better; she's less pale and seems a lot healthier. He doubts that she'll magically start eating again, so he decided to check in with her every now and then. 

"Are we going back to city hall?" She asked when they were in the car. 

"No, I am dropping you off at your house, and you are going to sleep."

"What? No! How do you know I won't just lie and say I did sleep?" 

"I'll know." He answers, somewhat scarily. 

Leslie shudders. "Thank you, Ron. I don't know what I'll do without you." 

"Normally I would try to retreat from what I call 'Feelings Territory' but you need to take care of yourself. Losing Ben doesn't mean get so busy you forget to eat and start getting sick. And maybe it's not so bad to think about him every now and then." He said, his eyes on the road. 

"I'm not so sure about that, Ron. Hey, by the way, did you tell anyone what happened?" 

"Just Chris. I said you were sick and I needed to take you home. It was pretty convincing, seeing as how I was carrying you as I was talking to him. Stop changing the subject."

Leslie mentally stopped herself from asking if Ben was there. He pulls into her driveway.

"But I can't think about him 'every now and then'. It's either all the time, or not at all. And for me it's all the time, and it's driving me insane." She opens the car door as it stops and she gets out. "Thanks Ron, for everything." 

He nods. 

// 

Leslie lays in bed and sighs. It's been a weird day. 

She wonders if anyone else saw what happened, or him carrying her out. It's kind of embarrassing, but it would also be an interesting story. Oh no, she's starting to sound like Justin. She laughs, for the first time in a while. 

She slowly drifts off into sleep with a smile on her face.


	5. Uncomfortable Ben xD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marlene visits Ben and basically makes him uncomfortable about the break-up. Set after S03E06, 'End of the World.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> help me xD

Marlene wordlessly walks into Ben's office. He looks up and he has a flicker of emotion in his eyes for a split second before he hardens and attempts to stare at her unexpressively. But she can see the sadness written all over his face. 

"How can I help you?" He asked, trying to remain professional.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't play coy with me, Wyatt." She looks at him, her face neutral. 

"I'm not," he says, returning her stare. 

"You and my daughter broke up." Again, one of her classic statements. 

'No shit, Sherlock,' he thinks, as he bites his tongue. No need to be snide. "Yeah." He shifts uncomfortably. 

She looks at him expectantly. 

"We knew that it was problematic from the start. Sneaking around wasn't going to be a long term plan, as much as I wish it was." He adds. 

"You two need to get it together." 

"What?" 

"Work isn't everything, especially when it makes you miserable, since it would likely reflect on your performance anyway. Who cares what other people think?" 

"Well, we do, seeing as how it could ruin our careers. It's not just my job, it's hers. It would ruin her campaign and her reputation and force her to give up on her dreams, and... I care too much about her for that to happen." He looks away. 

Marlene softens. "Listen, Ben, her campaign is going okay. But her heart's not in it. Maybe your relationship would ruin her poll numbers, but it would still be better with you on her side." 

"Maybe. But I think it's a little too late for that. She came to my house the other day and she said she understood that the romantic part of our relationship was over." 

Marlene's eyes narrow. 

His phone buzzes, and Chris' name pops up. He really knows how to interrupt everything that has anything to do with him and Leslie. Not that there was much of them around each other nowadays for him to interrupt. He pushes that thought away as he reads the message. 

"I have to go."

"Okay, see you around." 

"Wait, one more thing." He says. 

She looks at him expectantly. 

"I saw Leslie being carried out of City Hall about a week ago, and I heard something about her fainting, just thought you should know." 

"Oh, I know what that's about, don't worry."

Marlene smiles as Ben leaves. Even during their break-up, he was concerned about her.

//

Ben hasn't seen Leslie in a few days. Is she still sick and at home, or has she just been avoiding any possibility of running into him by using a separate hallway? That thought breaks his heart.


	6. I Don't Know if it's Worth it Anymore...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie talks with Ann. After everything that's happened, she's not sure if she can let it go. She doesn't know if she wants to, either. Post End of the World (S04E06).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something is wrong with me.
> 
> xDDD

"I don't want it to have to come to this, but maybe you should consider moving on?" Ann suggests. She hates seeing her best friend like this. She's Ben and Leslie's biggest supporter, but she knows Leslie needs to think about (and probably already has) the possibility of things not all working out and coming together in the end. As time passes, the odds of everything being ok were getting slimmer and slimmer. The worst part was, she couldn't do anything about it. All the circumstances make it the type of breakup that she can't (and shouldn't have to) move on from. But she was all out of ideas.

"I don't know if I can." Leslie puts her head in her hands and avoids looking at her surroundings. They're sitting on Ann's couch and somehow the conversation became this, and it was not Leslie's doing. Ann rubs Leslie's back soothingly.

Ann tries to cheer her up. "You're running a campaign! That's something to be excited about, huh?"

Leslie tries to smile. "Yeah, I am. But... Never mind." 

"But what, Leslie?" 

Leslie takes a deep breath. "I don't know if it's worth it anymore." 

Ann gasps. "Why, what happened?" She tries to ask casually but fails. 

"I'm grateful that I'm running a campaign, I'm grateful for everything I have, but.... William and Elizabeth don't seem to see me as a human. I'm just another project to them. I have an idea, they shut it down, it's like I have no control over anything anymore." 

"Oh, Leslie...." 

"I told myself never to let a guy control my life and he's not, but sometimes I lie awake and weigh the pros and cons and whether or not it's worth not having him laying next to me anymore. And, I honestly don't know." She anxiously taps her foot against the ground.

"If you don't know, then you need to figure it out. As positive as you are, maybe not everything is going to work out." Ann sighs, knowing she's being the opposite of helpful. "Sorry, I know that's probably not what you want to hear right now."

"No, it is. I don't want to sugarcoat it and make it into something it's not, and I certainly wouldn't want you to do that either. It's just, I used to be able to control my life, and now it's almost like other people are running it."

"Aren't they just running your campaign?" 

"Yeah, but they might as well be running my life. Besides, my whole life is the campaign, work is all I have going for me. I'm not gorgeous like you and I can't get a guy for the life of me." She grimaces. "Sorry, in a bad mood." 

Leave it to Leslie to compliment someone even when she's in a bad mood.

"Leslie, I know this isn't going exactly the way you've pictured it, but it's important not to give up. I know your life is crap right now, but you've told me before, it's important not to dwell on the negative. What good is that going to do? Think about the good things you have. A great job, an amazing best friend who loves you..." They both chuckle. "Just promise me you'll remember the good."

"I will." Leslie smiles. Her eyes widen in realization. "Wait, isn't that what I told you when- 

"When Chris and I broke up? Yes," Ann replies as she walks into her kitchen to retrieve two wine glasses and a bottle. She comes back into the living room and starts pouring. 

"Thank you," Leslie smiles, in understanding. 

"No problem. That's what friends are for, right?" She says, as she hands Leslie her glass of wine.

"Right." Leslie and Ann clink glasses.


	7. Oblivious Chris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Chris have a talk about how down he's been lately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter! I would think this to be the last one, but I'll add any conversations you want to see!

"Ben? Can you come in here?"

Ben groans. Not that he didn't enjoy his best friend, but he knew he wasn't being subtle about his depression, and he didn't want Chris to start making him meditate and drink weird energy drinks. He stands up and walks to Chris' desk. 

"What's up?" Ben tried to ask casually. 

Chris' neutral expression didn't last for long as he quickly switched back to one of his trademark blindingly bright smiles.

"You've been a little down lately, and I know just the thing to help!" 

"Chris, if you're about to suggest some kind of herbal smoothie, I'm out of here." It was the end of the day, and Ben was very tired and cranky, so he wasn't overflowing with enthusiasm at the moment. 

Chris' face falls, but again, not for long. Chris understood that Ben has been going through a hard time. As interested as he was, he knew his friend was a very private person, but maybe he could help. "I was thinking that maybe talking about it would help." 

"Are you suggesting a therapist, or you? Because I'm not going to a therapist." Ben narrows his eyes at the thought. 

"Well, you're in luck! I was suggesting me! So, what do you say?" Chris pats Ben on the back with fervor, trying to hype him up. 

Ben takes a deep breath. "Sure. I don't want to go into too many details, if that's okay?" He takes a seat at a chair near the desk. 

"Of course, Ben!" God, did that guy ever stop smiling? 

"I was seeing... a woman-

"That's wonderful!" Chris interrupts, then remembering there was more to the story so he quickly silences himself. 

"Anyway, there was... an obstacle that was in the way of our relationship being smooth sailing... and we knew about that going into it, but we decided to risk it. Then something came up, and we couldn't overlook that problem anymore, and neither of us wanted to break up, but we had to. And we both want to believe it's for the best, but it's really really hard to." 

"Oh, Ben- 

"And we weren't even together very long." Ben says, suddenly feeling more comfortable talking. "But do you ever just see someone or something, and you feel like everything's right in the world?" 

Chris nods, suddenly thinking about Ann. Why was he thinking about Ann? He has a girlfriend.

"Ben, that was lovely." Such beautiful words from Ben, an awkward person who cocoons himself from society when he gets embarrassed. Pawnee really has changed him. He smiles. 

Ben can feel his face redden as he looks away, but still smiles shyly. "Thanks. I don't normally ask for advice, but have you ever been through that before?" 

"Yeah." He smiles, wistfully and Ben narrows his eyes, debating on whether or not to bring it up. Nope, not going to touch that. 

"I keep running into her and I don't know what to do about it. It's like her name is always on my tongue." He rolls his eyes at what he said, then widening them in fear that he revealed too much, and he'll find out. 

"I know you're not a positive person, but, sometimes things just work out, and even if it doesn't happen quickly, you have to keep hoping, because if you don't, you'll go crazy."

Ben snorts in self-deprecation. "Haven't I already?" 

"That's for you to decide." He says, his face neutral for once.

Ben is weirdly shocked by Chris' perceptiveness and help. He thought for sure Chris would spout off some inspirational quote of nonsense. 

"All that being said, I have THE BEST herbal smoothie that is BOUND to perk up your mood. It is LITERALLY the best smoothie I have ever had." 

"There it is." 

"What?" 

"Nothing," Ben says, hiding the hint of a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm probably updating Drunken Distress this Friday or sooner if I stop being lazy! :)
> 
> Also I forgot to change the publishing date on Monday so you might be getting this notification on Thursday.


	8. Leslie and Ben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie and Ben talk about everything. Post Smallest Park. (S04E08)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all really thought that Leslie and Ben wouldn't be a part of this xD.

After the smallest park, they went to Leslie's house, had awesome make-up sex, and an amazing sleep finally wrapped in each other's arms again, but now it's time for the after. 

Leslie didn't know how to start the conversation, but they needed to have it. Figure out how they were going to tell Chris and make out what risks they're willing to take. 

But not without some real making out in between. 

Leslie didn't know that Ben was also thinking about how to start it. They weren't backing out now, but they needed to talk about Chris and the Parks Department and exactly how this is going to go.

They sit on her couch in silence except for the occasional stressed-out sighs.

"Oh my God, just do it already." Leslie muttered. 

"What?" 

"Crap. Did I say that out loud?" 

He reached for her hand and laced their fingers together, relishing in the feeling of being able to do that again.

She smiled at the gesture, it seemingly being all she needed to calm down and realize they were in this for the long haul. 

"How are we going to tell Chris?" She asked, avoiding his eye.

"I don't know. I guess we just... tell him." 

"Descriptive." She remarked. 

Ben grinned and squeezed her hand. "Very. I'm serious. There's really no way around it, so we should just be straightforward."

"Or we could go scuba diving outside of the country like I said." She grinned. 

"Let's put that as Plan B." He proposed. 

"Fine." She said, her grin reshaping into an adorable pout that he had to kiss.

"Are we going to get fired?" 

"I honestly don't know. I won't let you get fired." He promises. 

"I don't think you can control that." 

Ben just sits in silence with her, stroking her hair.

Leslie took a deep breath and heavily sighed. "You don't think you're going to regret it, do you? You know, if there are consequences. I would totally understand if you did, this is a big change and it'll be hard to get used to and maybe after a while it won't be worth it anymore- 

"Leslie. No. I'm not going to regret it. Wait.... are you?" His face immediately changed to one of concern. 

"No. I'm just used to people regretting the commitment." She grimaces, but then quickly picks herself back up into a shy smile.

He kissed her on the forehead and stood up, but quickly fell back down to the couch when Leslie attacks his face with kisses. 

"Good Lord," he mumbled into her lips, except it wasn't really much of an inconvenience. 

Or one at all, for that matter.


End file.
